Blue set her axe on the table next to her plate and gave it a loving stroke. “Did anyone see that creature yesterday?”
Wyatt coughed and chugged down some water to clear his throat. “If you mean whatever burned up those guards, my bet’s on Gem.”
“I didnotdo that!” Gem argued. “Viktor, I swear it wasn’t me. I take full accountability for the damages to the window, the front wall, and maybe the driveway, but whatever caused that wasn’t me.”
“No one saw it?” Blue asked.
We all shook our heads.
“I was too damn busy saving Wyatt’s ass,” Shepherd remarked.
“I’ll let that slide.” Wyatt licked chocolate off his finger. “Only because I finally have food in my belly and not even your dickish remarks can steal my joy.”
As they fell into conversation, Crush leaned back and put his arm over the back of my chair. “I like your people.”
I put a cupcake on his plate. “Don’t make this a habit. I don’t think Ren or the packs would have shown up without talking to you first, so eat all the sugar you want.”
Crush reached for a loaf of bread. “I have something different in mind. Hand me those meatballs,” he said to Shepherd.
Wyatt put down his onion rings and grabbed a loaf for himself. “Nowyou’re talking.”
We spenthours at the dining table, enjoying food, enjoying life, enjoying home. We didn’t discuss the details of the battle; there would be enough time for reliving the horrors later. I learned that Switch’s wolf had guarded Sparrow during the night so we could just focus on the prisoners downstairs. After showering and changing her clothes, Kira was back in form. When we filed out of the dining room, we found her mopping blood in the foyer. Her copper eyes seemed brighter than before, as if someone had breathed a second life into her. Viktor wanted to speak with her alone, but Kira was insistent on getting back to normal the only way she knew how.
None of us knew where to begin. There was so much cleanup to do, but we were still a bundle of nerves. The full twenty-four hours hadn’t yet passed for us to see if the curse had officially lifted. In my heart, I knew it would.
By the time Crush left Keystone, Sparrow’s energy had left my body. By the time the sun went down, Sparrow had left the building. When the Regulators showed up in their black attire, a katana on one hip and a dagger on the other, the traitors marched out with somber looks on their faces. According to Viktor, they would be tried the following day. Plotting to overthrow the higher authority was a high crime and sometimes punishable by death. In this case, representatives were the culprits, so no leniency would be given. It would set a precedent. Lenore’s winter ball would be the last party they ever attended. As for Sparrow, Viktor was uncertain if the higher authority would go against their rule about protecting humans now that he was mortal again. But since he committed the crime while immortal, he would likely be treated as such. Viktor asked if we wanted to attend the trial and possibly watch his execution, but I didn’t care. I wanted to put Sparrow behind me. I’d already seen him fall from power, and that was enough. But Ren and some of his people would likely fill the crowd, ensuring he received a just punishment.
Curled up on my white rug, I stared at the hot flames dancing in the hearth. I’d built a fire to enjoy the exquisite warmth against my skin. Man, I’d come so close to losing the most basic pleasures.
A knock sounded, and Christian entered the room. “You’re not on the roof.”
I stretched my legs and toes and looked down at him. “Why would I be?”
He closed the door. “That’s where you always go after we finish a job.”
“Huh. I guess I never thought much about it since I spend a lot of time up there.”
Christian kicked off his shoes and sat by the hearth. “If you’re chilly, perhaps you should put on something warmer than knickers and a top.” He used the poker to give the wood a small shove and stir up the fire.
“I never thought I’d miss being uncomfortable, but I did. Misery makes you feel more alive.”
He hung the tool on the stand. “I can sense hot and cold but it’s— I can’t explain it.”
“You don’t have to. Now I know.”
He squeezed my thigh. “That you do. Shall I fetch you more wine?”
I rubbed my eyes. “No. I’ve had enough.”
Christian got up to drape a fur blanket over my legs. Then he sat on the rug behind me and watched the fire.
I rolled onto my back and listened to the wood crackling and the quiet roar of the flames.
He leaned on his hand. “Penny for your thoughts.”
“I need help severing heads.”
“Well, nothing warms the cockles of my heart like my one true love asking me about decapitation. Is this coming from the same woman who was once referred to as the Angel of Death? What was that other one? Oh yes. The Ferryman.”
